It'll soon be four months since Matthijs de Ligt's last appearance, but the Manchester United star is planning his return to help Michael Carrick's side during the run-in
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 30: Matthijs de Ligt of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park on November 30, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
Matthijs de Ligt hasn't played since November 30(Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
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Manchester United star Matthijs de Ligt hopes to make his long-awaited return from injury before the end of this season. De Ligt, 26, hasn't played since November because of a back problem.
The Netherlands international was initially expected to be ruled out for just a week, but the injury has ended up plaguing his season. Michael Carrick recently admitted that he didn't know if De Ligt would play again before the end of United's Premier League campaign on May 24.
But De Ligt is now aiming to return before then and make a late push to be included in his country's World Cup squad, according to the Sun. The defender faces stiff competition from the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Micky van de Ven, Nathan Ake, Stefan de Vrij, Jan Paul van Hecke, Jurrien Timber and Jorrel Hato, who were all called up by Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands' upcoming friendlies.
And De Ligt won't find it easy to get into Carrick's XI, either. Harry Maguire has enjoyed a resurgence while Leny Yoro is steadily improving after replacing the injured Lisandro Martinez.
The Red Devils' next game is at home to Leeds on Monday, April 13 but Maguire will be suspended following his red card in last Friday's 2-2 draw at Bournemouth. Carrick hopes that Martinez will be fit enough to replace Maguire, although 19-year-old Ayden Heaven is an alternative.
De Ligt has been absent for the entirety of Carrick's interim tenure, having replaced Ruben Amorim in January. The ex-Bayern Munich, Juventus and Ajax man had previously started all 13 of United's league games.
Last week, Carrick was asked about De Ligt's recovery, with the Dutchman having been spotted back at Carrington. "It's difficult to say, just because it's taken that much time," Carrick replied.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Matthijs de Ligt of Manchester United arrives ahead of a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground on March 11, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Matthijs de Ligt has been working behind the scenes at Carrington(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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"With backs sometimes you think it's all right and all of a sudden it's not quite right. We're just being patient and working through it. We'll give him time and try to get him back as quickly as we can, but it's really difficult to say."
On the prospect of De Ligt getting surgery, the Red Devils boss added: "I don't want to get into that at this stage. We'll try and do whatever we can to help and we're working through that now. I'm not trying to hide anything. He's improving. It's just not as quick as we all hope."
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